Steve Foster might be known as “Shorty” by his DB-5 band mates, but the lead singer is never short of talent and quips during his performances.

Steve Foster might be known as “Shorty” by his DB-5 band mates, but the lead singer is never short of talent and quips during his performances.

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New Caney resident Bill Elliott, the drummer for DB-5, writes many of the band’s original songs.

New Caney resident Bill Elliott, the drummer for DB-5, writes many of the band’s original songs.

Photo: STEPHANIE BUCKNER

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Jimmy Wren, the bass guitarist for DB-5, says that he learned most of what he knows about music from listening and playing by ear.

Jimmy Wren, the bass guitarist for DB-5, says that he learned most of what he knows about music from listening and playing by ear.

Photo: STEPHANIE BUCKNER

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Al Montez, rhythm and lead guitarist for DB-5, works as a guitar instructor when he isn’t busy playing gigs with the band.

Al Montez, rhythm and lead guitarist for DB-5, works as a guitar instructor when he isn’t busy playing gigs with the band.

Photo: STEPHANIE BUCKNER

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Local band electrifies nightlife circuit

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Chivalry is not dead. This is the case, at least for the band DB-5, the players of which somehow seem to cater to even the most unique musical tastes. The band recently performed at Kat Daddy’s in Magnolia, a venue that they have played many times. The band is made up of all local members, with drummer, Bill Elliott, who currently resides in New Caney.

“We’ve never played somewhere and not been asked to come back after,” says vocalist Steve Foster, also known by band members as “Shorty” because of his stature.

His vocal range, however, does not give any hint that this is the case. He performed songs that even some of the most seasoned cover bands wouldn’t touch, and was able to do so successfully, and in most cases impressively. Foster even incorporates the crowd into the show, serenading many crowd members throughout the night.

DB-5, which stands for divided by 5, originally boasted five members, but do to creative differences, eventually dwindled to the four members that make up the band today.

“These guys are the guys that you hope to play with your entire life,” says Jimmy Wren, bass guitarist for the band, who has been playing since he was a child. He, along with Elliott, also provides backup lyrics. With his leather guitar strap, featuring all the suits in a deck of cards, Wren cheerily plays every song on the band’s extensive playlist and manages to never make any of it look like work.

Al Montez, who plays both lead and rhythm guitar for the band, has many solo guitarist moments, and deservedly so. While Montez is obviously the shy member of the band, he manages to incorporate his sharp wit into the playful banter between the guys during their show.

His wife, Melody, who took a night off from the kids to support her husband, as she does at least once every month, said that “when Al’s at home, he plays all the time, usually not complete songs though, just pieces of them; but he’s always playing something.”

Also impressive about the band is the variety of songs that they perform. While the songs are all tunes that the audience is familiar with, DB-5 plays songs that aren’t particularly overplayed within the late night bar circuit. This fact gives them a fresh quality that many bands don’t possess.

Though their personal tastes seem to lean more toward southern and classic rock, they have incorporated more country into the show. After all, as Melody Montez says to reason with the guys, “This is Texas!”

It’s obvious to see why DB-5 proves to be such a crowd pleaser, even playing nearly two encore songs after bar patrons asked them to do so. Despite the occasional tamale vendor circling the bar and the man who has had a little too much to drink, and in a moment of false confidence suddenly thinks he can join the band, the show that they put on is nothing short of electric.

Bill Elliott plays the drums with such ferocity that the drumsticks break with great frequency.

While content with their current status, even getting booked for the rest of the year by a bar owner who just happened to be watching the show, Elliott says that they are trying to get into bigger venues to play their music. Along with their large variety of cover songs, the band also has written and performed a few original songs, written by Elliott himself.

“For us, the money would certainly be nice, but the applause and reaction from the crowd is better than the money,” said Elliott. The band even played free of charge for a business that couldn’t pay them after being robbed.

DB-5 will be playing numerous events in the coming months, in many local areas such as Conroe and Cut-N-Shoot, and if nothing else is certain, the one thing that is: These guys are certainly ready for their encore.